LAND OF MIRRORS

Spanish cartoonist Medem's poetic, cryptic, and hyperhued graphic novel debut unfolds like a dream. Antonia inhabits a land that has been abandoned for unexplained reasons. She passes her days tending to an alien-looking flower that seems perfectly in tune with her own feelings and movements. One day, a woman from another land appears. She and Antonia speak different languages, but find ways to communicate. Together they journey to the newcomer's homeland, a place where donkeys build mazes and humans collect sounds (e.g., chickens clucking) the way mockingbirds do. Because the people are sonic sponges, mirrors are sacred tools: "We realized something, by accident: mirrors could bring us back. We'd see our reflection, and remember." The motif of mirrors and the introduction of a character named Narciso all allude to the Narcissus myth; Medem also pulls from flamenco lyrics, which are listed in back matter. The characters can feel like cyphers, or metaphors, as the story meanders and puzzles through bright gradient backgrounds, vines that drape across panels, and reflections that melt into water and sky. Along the way, Medem effectively conveys themes of loneliness, intimacy, and communal consciousness. This evocative mood piece will appeal to fans of art comics. (Feb.)